Junior Golf Etiquette Before the First Competitive Round

A young player does not need to memorize the Rules of Golf before a first competitive round. They need the handful of etiquette habits that keep a group moving, keep everyone safe, and keep the player from standing out for the wrong reasons. Etiquette is mostly about other people: staying out of their line, their swing, and their way.

The good news is that none of this is complicated. It is a short, learnable list, and most of it becomes automatic after one or two rounds played with other juniors instead of just with family. Cover it once, calmly, before the first event, and let the round itself do the rest of the teaching.

The player with the lowest score on the previous hole tees off first; on the first tee, the order is usually set by the starter or drawn at random. Once a player is set up over the ball, everyone else stands still, off to the side and well behind, never in front of the tee markers and never in the player's peripheral vision.

Teach a young player to walk to their own ball and get ready quietly while someone else plays, rather than standing around the tee box making conversation. It is a small habit that immediately reads as someone who has played before.

The core rule of on-course etiquette is simple: no talking, no moving, and no standing where the player can see you out of the corner of their eye, while anyone is over the ball. That applies to a two-foot putt just as much as a drive. Cell phones stay silent and out of sight during play on most junior tours, not just during someone else's shot.

Shadows count too. Standing where your shadow crosses another player's line on the green is treated the same as standing in their sightline. It is an easy mistake to make and an easy one to avoid once a player knows to check.

The player farthest from the hole putts first, and everyone else stands off to the side, out of the line of every remaining putt, not just their own. A ball is marked with a small, flat coin-style marker placed directly behind it, and lifted only after marking.

• Never step on another player's line between their ball and the hole.
• Tend the flagstick only if asked, and remove it cleanly without dropping it on the green.
• Once everyone has holed out, leave the green promptly and mark the scorecard at the next tee, not standing on the putting surface.

Slow play is the single most common etiquette complaint at junior events, and it is rarely about a slow swing. It is walking to the wrong ball first, planning a shot only after arriving at it, or not being ready when it becomes your turn. A young player who starts thinking about their next shot while walking, rather than after arriving, plays at a completely normal pace without ever feeling hurried.

This is a skill worth building on its own, not just reciting once in the car. Our pace of play guide covers the specific habits that keep a young beginner moving with the group.

Course care is etiquette too, and it is easy to teach because it is physical, not situational. Replace or fill divots on the fairway. Rake the bunker on the way out, smoothing both the entry track and the area disturbed by the shot. Repair any ball mark on the green the player caused, plus one more if there is time.

Carts and push carts stay off greens, tee boxes, and any roped-off area, and away from bunkers. None of this is complicated, but a player who does it without being reminded stands out to playing partners, officials, and eventually college coaches for the right reasons.

The night before or the morning of, walk through the short list once rather than lecturing on all of it at once:

• Quiet and still whenever someone else is over the ball.
• Farthest from the hole putts first; stay off others' lines.
• Rake bunkers, replace divots, repair ball marks.
• Think about the next shot while walking, not after arriving.
• Phone silent and away during play.

What parents can and cannot do once play starts is a separate topic covered in the parent rules and etiquette guide, and the full logistics checklist is in your first golf tournament checklist.